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The BS stops in Austin with a fantastic USGP

November 18, 2012

Formula One put on quite a show in Austin this weekend for the USGP. Photo by MIKE LARSON

There is a fine line, if any, between axiom and cliché, and I despise the use of either. But on Sunday, Nov. 18, at the new Circuit of the Americas near Austin, Texas, the first United States Formula One Grand Prix in five years is described no better than the following, which is familiar to motorsports anoraks:

When the green flag drops, the bullshit stops.

In July 2010, an unknown character named Tavo Hellmund caused just about everyone who follows F1 and especially those in the media—and that includes many of us at Autoweek—to roll their eyes and say, “Yeah, good luck with that.”

Could you blame us? Hellmund said he had a longtime relationship with family friend Bernie Ecclestone, and it was this unique status, he proclaimed, that would allow him to succeed where who knows how many others had failed. He would build a state-of-the-art F1 mega circuit in the wholly obvious location of Elroy, Texas, about 20 minutes outside of hip and thriving Austin. Approximately 120,000 fans would flock, he said. “Oh, this is going to happen,” he told me after I answered a call from a blocked number on my cell phone one rainy night not long after his initial announcement.

I did not believe him. I know I was not the only one. Other than his words, there was little reason to—and even less so when you considered F1's history in this country.

Since then, the conflict between Hellmund and the investor group led by Bobby Epstein and Red McCombs has been well-documented here. F1 boss Ecclestone at one point said he doubted this race would happen, at least not this year, and Austin residents questioned the need for a race track and its associated costs, let alone F1.

The principles meanwhile waged their own pissing match. Ultimately Hellmund and his former partners entered legal proceedings, eventually reached a settlement and money changed hands. All along, the COTA project pushed into the $400-plus-million range. The entire affair seemed like a wading pool filled with gasoline, a single small spark away from devastating combustion.

Bounce to this weekend. On Thursday I drove into the Circuit of the Americas for the first time and stood at the bottom of the uphill-climbing turn one, staring wide-eyed for five minutes at this gorgeous 3.4-mile circuit—designed, by the way, by Hellmund and motorcycle racing legend Kevin Schwantz, and not by Hermann Tilke as some propaganda would have you believe. Sure, Tilke's company engineered it, but the layout is Hellmund's and Schwantz's all the way. Unlike many road courses, it features excellent sightlines and multiple spectator areas offering great views of more than a single corner or straightaway. As a complete, modern facility, it stands absolutely unrivaled by any racing venue on this continent. Period.

Track officials reported that more than 65,000 people showed up on Friday for F1 practice, more than 82,000 on Saturday for qualifying, and 117,429 on race day for a three-day total of 265,499.

Yes, yes, but year one was always going to be easy, we had all said. Years two, three and four would be the acid test. Will they come back?

If any reasonably large number of people who came here Sunday answers “no,” then F1 is indeed forever doomed in this country unless a race in the New York City area really is the only answer. What more could it do at COTA? This inaugural Grand Prix was mesmerizing compared to many of the events on the F1 calendar. The layout allowed for enough passes throughout the field that I lost count--when was the last time we said that about a Formula One race?--including a fantastic one for the lead after Lewis Hamilton stalked championship leader Sebastian Vettel for lap after lap, trading fastest times during a tense battle. We saw remarkably clean racing throughout the field, even in the most unforgiving and close-as-possible (without crashing) wheel-to-wheel moments. Even the hardened F1 press corp inside the media center let out a collective gasp or two as F1's stars put on their best show of the season. I write these words an hour after Hamilton raised the winner's trophy on the podium, and I am still a bit . . . stunned is too strong of a word, but . . . we knew the track held promise for a nice race, but not that nice.

The entire experience this weekend, I suspect, has been great for everyone who participated. I managed to party a little bit in an electrically charged downtown scene, listened to knowledgeable and jazzed-up fans rave about the circuit and its amenities, walked the entire grounds, and witnessed one of the best dry-weather F1 races in years. Even the traffic into and out of the two-lane road bordering the circuit—a major concern from day one—turned out to be little more than an inconvenience; it moved slow, but it moved. Improved traffic management and better training of volunteers will help a great deal for next year, if you are listening, COTA. Regardless, this was not a NASCAR-at-Kentucky-Speedway debacle by any remote stretch, as some predicted.

On Friday night, I attended a premiere of the new F1 documentary film, 1, and as luck would have it ran smack into Hellmund. Despite apparently being forced out of the project by his former partners—who also deserve loads of credit for seeing this deal through—he smiled wide, and I could make only one comment. “I know it didn't go down the way you intended, but congratulations. Hell of a job.” I said something similar the next day to COTA president Steve Sexton when I encountered him in the tunnel leading into the circuit's paddock.

Both thanked me politely and with enthusiasm; for transparency, let me be clear: I have no horse in this race and I have no favorites. It doesn't concern me. But I will never forget Hellmund's response. He is an enigma at times, prone to grudges, and it would have been easy for him to hide this weekend, sulking while others took the credit. Instead, he never stopped grinning. Bullshit, politics and infighting might have corrupted the past couple years of his life, but I have a feeling that there are, after this Grand Prix, many more believers in COTA than existed just a few days ago.

Certainly we will follow the ongoing story; for one it is our job, and for another, there are no long-term guarantees with a project this big and saddled with such heavy fiscal baggage. But had the U.S. Grand Prix been a dud of an on-track display, no doubt the ongoing negativity and skepticism would continue to be the top story. Instead, thanks to the show F1 and this circuit delivered, none of it matters right now to the people who count the most: the fans.

Though I can't be sure, I'm comfortable saying that Hellmund and all involved with this galactic undertaking are at least somewhat content tonight due to the very thing that a few billboards on the roads surrounding COTA proclaimed: “Stay strong Gustavo. You have much to be proud of . . . ”

“Gustavo” was a reference to Hellmund's father, who is in ill health; the rest of the line was a reference to his son's vision.

The billboards were signed simply, “—Bernie."

Whatever your overall opinion of Ecclestone, in this case I must agree with the F1 ringmaster.

Mac Morrison
- Mac Morrison is Autoweek’s senior editor for Motorsports covering racing at all levels, from club events to NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA and Formula One. He also contributes to Autoweek’s coverage and testing of new cars and the automotive industry.
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